Drill Here. Drill Now. Part II

You've got to give the Democrats credit. They tried to make some noise about energy today here in Denver. But no one heard them.

The scene before the press conference was dramatic: The podium stood in front of a sky blue hybrid RTD bus right in front of the stately facade of Union Station. Cops scoured the street for bombs or terrorists or non-approved protestors, and at least two-dozen journalists, along with a handful of citizens (this was one of the few such events directly related to the convention that was open to the general public), stood sweating in the sweltering sun.

Finally, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with other key Democratic house leaders, arrived. And then, just as she began to speak about her plan for American energy independence, the chants began: "Drill Here! Drill Now!" they yelled. Mostly young men, some wearing self-conscious scruff, as though they were just dragged from a fraternity house. They held hand-scrawled signs and McCain t-shirts. Their voices were loud.

Pelosi: "... the policies of the two oil men in the White House ..."

Protestors: "Drill Here, Drill Now!"

Pelosi: "... this planet is God's creation... "

Protesters: "You don't want to lower gas prices!!!"

Pelosi: "We need to put everything on the table. We must reduce our dependence on oil and foreign oil."

Protesters: "Drill Here. Drill Now!"

Pelosi: "We can't drill our way out of this problem."

You get the picture. After a half hour of this, I had to leave. At some point Pelosi thanked the "Drill Only" guys for making clear the distinction between the Democrats' plan and McCain's energy plan. But I only heard little snippets of her plan, because the frat boys kept yelling.

In the end, I guess I heard the sound bytes. Maybe that's all I was meant to hear.